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Tag / multiculturalism

Cultural appropriation alarmism is based on the idea we can’t fully appreciate the experience of another so we shouldn’t perform, celebrate or consume it. Problem is, the only experience we can truly appreciate is our own individual experience, why should that preclude me from taking/giving what I can from/to everyone else?

At the end of the day the heart of this is truly economic protectionism, limiting the competition to satisfy consumers. This time instead of consumers of goods or services, consumers of culture. Like when guilds/unions would decry non guild members performing the service they perform. Like all protectionism it is sold as everything but.

Be courteous, respectful and decent. Also, feel free to celebrate and embrace each other’s differences and mix and match them into something new, unique and beautiful.

Recent I was in a debate arguing in favor of Multi-Culturalism. I usually frame my fondness of cultural pluralism in a positive framework of the wonderful things that come out of the free Exchange of ideas usually citing Korean Tacos to make my case.

Although, diversity isn’t good just cause of what comes out of working together but also cause the bad things that are prevented because we become skeptical of each other and even work against each other. Below is what I said in this discussion which I figured many would find interesting.

I don’t disagree, pluralism may lead to less trust but I think that’s a feature. A society with more skepticism will be skeptical of the use of the state to benefit other groups vs a more more homogenous group that will be less sensitive to growth of the state due to the beneficiaries being people they trust or feel they trust.

This is why I feel a lot of European nations have more robust welfare states because they are less bothered by it due to cultural homogeneity and to me that powerful a state is not a good thing.

I agree pluralism leads to conflict but that leads to decentralization like conflict and competition between enterprises leads to decentralized provision of goods, innovation, and other benefits.

I’m not a multiculturalist cause I expect everyone to get along but because I don’t think they will.

But like markets there are enterprises that find synergies and work together and it’s the same with different cultures. It’s a market.